Featuring lots of romance, stunning scenery, and heartwarming storylines, The Holiday has cemented itself as a classic Christmas comfort film that all generations enjoy.
Brits still sit down to watch the iconic rom com throughout the festive season, 18 years after its release in 2006 – but it turns out that all is not what it seems.
The beloved movie sees chronically unlucky in love Amanda (Cameron Diaz) plan a house swap and spend the holidays in a cute country cottage in the UK, which belongs to journalist Iris (Kate Winslet).
Surrey-based Iris ditches her picturesque English home for Amanda’s Hollywood mansion and both lovelorn women are swept off their feet with an exciting new romance when they meet Graham and Miles.
In the lead-up to the festive period, the film’s star Jude Law ‘broke the internet’ as he teased a possible sequel after reenacting a beloved scene.
Earlier this month, the actor, 51, Jude reunited with film’s the director Nancy Meyers as she took him out to lunch to celebrate him being awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In the lead-up to the festive period, The Holiday star Jude Law ‘broke the internet’ as he teased a possible sequel after reenacting a beloved scene
It came just weeks after Jude sent fans wild once again as he burst the film’s perfect bubble was burst for some as he spilled filming secrets from the Christmas classic on BBC Radio 2 and revealed the cottage owned by Kate Winslet’s character Iris is not even real
But as she remarked on how much the actor gets questioned about doing a sequel, Jude huffed and exclaimed: ‘give me a second’, before turning and placing his serviette and glasses on his head in the style of the film’s Mr Napkin Head.
After Nancy shared the video on social media, fans went wild, claiming the pair had ‘broken the internet’ with the skit, with many questioning if this did indeed mean a sequel is on the way.
It came just weeks after Jude sent fans wild once again as he burst the film’s perfect bubble was burst for some as he spilled filming secrets from the Christmas classic on BBC Radio 2 and revealed the cottage owned by Kate Winslet’s character Iris is not even real.
Following the surprising admission, MailOnline has rounded up all of the aspects of The Holiday that are not realistic…
Iris worked for a newspaper and could afford THAT cottage
Time and time again over the years, fans of the movie have hilariously pointed out that there is no way Iris would have been able to afford her countryside cottage on a journalist salary
Rosehill Cottage became somewhat of a phenomenon after the film was released, with fans calling it the perfect English dream home for Christmas
While the exterior was lightly dusted in snow, the inside had a roll top bath, cosy furnishings and a shabby chic kitchen
Time and time again over the years, fans of the movie have hilariously pointed out that there is no way Iris would have been able to afford her quaint countryside cottage on a journalist salary.
Despite it not being real, the cosy cottage that inspired it sold for a whopping £675,000.
Not to mention the lengthy commute into central London from Surrey every day – the area she lives in does not look like it’s home to much public transport.
Rosehill Cottage was so stunning that it became somewhat of a phenomenon after the film was released, with fans calling it the perfect English dream home for Christmas.
While the exterior was lightly dusted in snow, the inside had a roll top bath and a shabby chic kitchen.
One seconds-long scene took a whole week to shoot
Although the scene only lasts a matter of mere seconds on screen, Cameron Diaz has revealed that it took a whole week, and lots of pain, to shoot
Although the scene only lasts a matter of mere seconds on screen, Cameron Diaz has revealed that it took a whole week, and lots of pain, to shoot
At the end of the film, Amanda dramatically stops the car that was driving her to the airport to go back to LA.
She insists the driver lets her out so she can sprint miles back to Graham at the cottage, all while wearing high heels.
Although the scene only lasts a matter of mere seconds on screen, Cameron Diaz has revealed that it took a whole week, and lots of pain, to shoot.
The actress told Vulture: ‘Oh, girl. I was running, like, seven miles a day in heels. That whole scene took a week to shoot. That wasn’t even in the script.
‘They only used two shots, but we shot like ten shots of me running across ten different fields.
‘And I’m wearing that Valentino cashmere, wool trench coat, a turtleneck cashmere sweater and jeans, and my high-heeled boots.’
The picturesque cottage was fake
Jude Law, who starred as widower Graham who falls in love with Amanda in the movie, recently shared a shocking behind-the-scenes detail about the cookie cutter cottage
Speaking about the picturesque cottage where Amanda holidays, Kerry asked: ‘Can you Airbnb that cottage?’, with Jude replying: ‘That cottage doesn’t exist’
Jude Law, who starred as widower Graham who falls in love with Amanda in the movie, recently shared a shocking behind-the-scenes detail.
The actor, 51, appeared on BBC Radio 2 with host Zoe Ball and comedian Kerry Godliman on Friday.
Speaking about the picturesque cottage where Amanda holidays, Kerry asked: ‘Can you Airbnb that cottage?’, while Zoe replied: ‘I think so’, Jude told them the truth.
‘That cottage doesn’t exist. So the director, she’s a bit of a perfectionist, toured that whole area and didn’t quite find the chocolate box cottage she was looking for,’ he revealed.
‘So she just hired a field and drew it and had someone build it. But here’s the funny thing if you watch it.
‘So, we were shooting in the winter here and every time I go in that door, we cut and we shot the interiors in LA about three months later.’
Jude revealed Rosehill Cottage was only an outside exterior, with the cast later shooting interior scenes in LA months later
‘So, we were shooting in the winter here and every time I go in that door, we cut and we shot the interiors in LA about three months later’, Jude revealed (pictured with Cameron)
Stunned, Zoe said: ‘We don’t want to hear anymore. We can’t bear it’, while Kerry added: ‘That’s very upsetting’.
Looking sheepish, Jude replied: ‘Just burst the bubble, sorry.’
Despite Rosehill Cottage not being real, the cast did film in the Surrey villages of Shere and Godalming.
The Honeysuckle Cottage in Holmbury St Mary, which was put up for sale in 2021 and now an Airbnb, provided the inspiration for the crew who designed it.
Rosehill Cottage became somewhat of a phenomenon after the film was released, with fans calling it the perfect English dream home for Christmas.
The home swap was organised within 24 hours
The speedy home swap between Iris and Amanda, which is central to the movie’s plot, was arguably the most unrealistic part of the film
Taking impulsive to the next level, the whole arrangement was cemented less than a day after they decided to go for it
The speedy home swap between Iris and Amanda, which is central to the movie’s plot, was arguably the most unrealistic part of the film.
Both women have full time jobs, with Iris working as a journalist at the Telegraph, meanwhile Amanda is a movie trailer editor.
Despite this, the characters managed to organise their annual leave, not to mention book flights, within 24 hours.
Taking impulsive to the next level, the whole arrangement was cemented less than a day after they decided to go for it, seemingly with no obstacles at all.
They also played a risky game by conducting zero research about who they were letting into their home, with not even a quick Google search in sight.
Based on Iris’ elated reaction upon arrival to Amanda’s mansion, it was clear she had not even seen any pictures of the place.
The snow was mostly fake
In the same interview, the actress revealed that the gorgeous blanket of snow covering the hills surrounding the cottage, was also fake
Despite Cameron insisting that doesn’t snow in England, the crew did reportedly experience three small snowfalls during filming so some of it was real
In the same interview, the actress revealed that the gorgeous blanket of snow covering the hills surrounding the cottage, was also fake.
She told the publication: ‘And we covered all the hillside with this fake snow, which was totally biodegradable. It was the most incredible — it doesn’t snow in England. It rains in England. But there are swabs of snow.’
Despite Cameron insisting that doesn’t snow in England, the crew did reportedly experience three small snowfalls during filming so some of it was real.
However, a snow machine had already been hired and brought along as no one thought it actually would.
The timeline is all over the place
At the beginning of The Holiday, Iris’ boss at The Telegraph tells her: ‘We are going to try and get by this week with a smaller-than-normal staff’
Cosmopolitan worked out that this would have been Friday December 22, as a newspaper office, if closing at all, will be closing as close to Christmas as possible
At the beginning of The Holiday, Iris’ boss at The Telegraph tells her: ‘We are going to try and get by this week with a smaller-than-normal staff’.
Cosmopolitan worked out that this would have been Friday December 22, as a newspaper office, if closing at all, will be closing as close to Christmas as possible.
So, this means that one day later the women would be starting their homeswap holiday on December 23.
With this timeline in mind, it would mean that the movie’s most important events, such as Amanda going on a date with Graham, happen on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, with no mention of it being those days in the movie.
Not to mention Graham’s two children and where they are, while the single father is off with Amanda.
Graham’s young daughters both have cell phones in 2006
Plenty of eagle-eyed viewers have been left puzzled by the fact that Graham’s five and seven year old daughters in the movie, Sophie and Olivia, have cell phones
In the movie, Amanda grows suspicious when Graham keps receiving calls from mystery women, which turn out to be his daughters
Plenty of eagle-eyed viewers have been left puzzled by the fact that Graham’s five and seven year old daughters in the movie, Sophie and Olivia, have cell phones.
While a lot more youngsters own a mobile now, it was quite uncommon in 2006 for children under the age of 10 to have them.
In the movie, Amanda grows suspicious when Graham keps receiving calls from mystery women, which turn out to be his daughters.
However, when she does eventually meet them, the phones they are supposed to have are also nowhere in sight.
Amanda drinks half a bottle of wine then drives back to the cottage
Finally, as Amanda comes to terms with her new downsized spacing and failing love life she braves the snowy Surrey roads and drives to the local village
But as she spends over £100 on food and alcohol in a supermarket, Amanda is seen downing half a bottle of red wine as she walked around the aisle
Finally, as Amanda comes to terms with her new downsized spacing and failing love life, she braves the snowy Surrey roads and drives to the local village.
She is seen struggling to make sense of driving on the right-hand side and on the other side of the road on her way to the local shops.
In one scene she even nearly causes a crash as she battled with the narrow country roads.
But as she spends over £100 on food and alcohol in a supermarket, Amanda is seen downing half a bottle of red wine as she walked around the aisle.
Even if the shop keepers let Amanda get back into her car without calling the police, the chances of her making it back without an accident seems very unlikely.